Subject: NetBSD/i386 without vga adapter and keyboard
To: None <netbsd-users@netbsd.org>
From: Jochen Keil <J.Keil@gmx.de>
List: netbsd-users
Date: 02/09/2005 11:54:07
Hi all.

My Mainboard allows booting without a graphic card and keyboard 
installed. Unfortunately NetBSD hesitates all of my attempts to boot 
completely without these devices. It will not even boot if i just 
disconnect the keyboard.
What i've done so far is to disable wscons and vga in my kernconf but i 
had to enable pccons otherwise the kernel wouldn't boot. I've also set 
console=com0 with installboot but this didn't help either. COM devices 
are disabled in the BIOS. Do i have to switch them on in order to boot 
without vga and keyboard?
I found an email from Manuel Bouyer where he wrote that you need at 
least a serial console to make netbsd boot. The problem is that i don't 
have null modem cable. Despite that i didn't really get how to set up a 
serial console. Is console (4) everything i need? Will it work with COM 
devices disabled?
I've been also looking through various kernconfs and LAMB looked quite 
promising as it didn't have a vga device either but if i build a kernel 
without wscons/pccons/vga(but wscons) it won't boot.
It would be great if you could shed some light on my confusion and point 
me to the correct documentation.

Thank you in advance and kind regards,

Jochen Keil